She tilted her head up to gaze into his amused blue eyes. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, the connection between them so deep it took her breath away more than the scenery.
Suddenly feeling something damp on her face, Alexa shifted her gaze to the sky. ‘Rafe! It’s snowing!’
He smiled at her indulgently, stroking a flake from her cheek. ‘So it is. Rare for this time of year, but damn cold enough!’
She started laughing and turned out of the circle of his arms to spread hers wide. ‘I’ve never seen snow before. It’s glorious.’
‘You?
?re glorious.’ He pulled her back to him and crushed her lips beneath his until she forgot all about the snow.
When they finally parted to draw breath Rafe reached down to brush the wetness from her cheeks. ‘Happy?’
Alexa could have melted into a contented puddle at the way he was looking at her. ‘So happy.’
* * *
The following morning, their last on the road, Alexa relaxed in the quaint bedroom of a traditional English pub somewhere in a picturesque valley in the Yorkshire Dales.
It was dreamily quiet and she had woken to the faint sound of birds outside her window, and a crisp layer of snow covering the valley. Snuggled up in bed, she realised that she hadn’t practised her normal yoga routine or thought about work all week, and she didn’t even care. This trip with Rafe was a break from real life and she’d embraced it much more heartily than she would have thought possible.
Out here, they were just Mr and Mrs Nobody, taking a week off and travelling together. Last night the publican and his wife hadn’t batted an eye as they’d pulled up late and asked if they had a room. A week ago Alexa would never have thought she would ever be in such a situation. She’d never thought she’d feel this magical, and all because she’d decided to ‘take charge’, as he’d suggested, and embraced uncertainty.
She could only imagine Nasrin’s face when she told her how sexy the Prince really was. Or would she tell her? She’d certainly grown close to Nasrin over the last three years, but perhaps this experience was too private to share with anyone. Because she had no doubt that Nasrin would have her romantic hat on and interrogate her with a litany of questions about what had happened and how she felt about him. No doubt expecting Alexa to have fallen in love with him or something equally absurd.
Fortunately she wasn’t at risk of that happening. She was having a good time with Rafe. A wonderful time, but that was all it was for both of them. The public might have bought their romantic love story but Alexa knew the truth, and this time she was determined to remain objective.
Wondering why she felt so unsettled all of a sudden, she nearly fell on the phone beside the bed as it started to ring. Out of habit she picked it up, checking the display before she realised that it was Rafe’s phone and not her own.
Regan’s name flashed across the screen and Alexa glanced at the bathroom door, where she could hear the shower running. She’d been too drowsy to join Rafe when he’d tried to cajole her into shower sex, promising to go in search of a soy latte for her as soon as he was out.
Regan’s name flashed again and Alexa sat up, pulling Rafe’s discarded T-shirt over her head to ward off the chill, and swiped the screen to answer the call. The Queen might be calling because of a family emergency and she didn’t feel comfortable letting it go through to voicemail when she had the chance to answer it.
Delighted to hear her voice, Regan was keen to find out how Alexa was enjoying her time in England with Rafe and, before she knew it, Alexa found herself drawn in by the other woman’s natural warmth. It was clear why the King had fallen in love with her. Even on the phone she was animated and sincere, so opposite to Alexa’s own tendency to be closed down. Not that she’d been closed down this week. In fact the way she’d been with Rafe shocked the life out of her. Reminding her that she could be fun and relaxed when she wasn’t so worried about the future, and how everyone perceived her.
Maybe a little bit of Rafe’s capacity to let things go had rubbed off on her. Not that she’d go as far as he had in letting things go. Like letting go of his country, and his family.
‘So I’ve organised a surprise birthday dinner for Jag in London tomorrow night,’ Regan said in a hushed tone as if she half expected her husband to sneak up behind her. ‘And I haven’t heard yet if Rafe is coming. It’s not that big a deal because I’ve booked the whole restaurant, but I’d really like to know. It would mean so much to Jag and me if you were both there.’
‘Of course we’ll be there,’ Alexa said, not really thinking about the ramifications of that statement until she hung up and Rafe strolled out of the shower a couple of minutes later, a white towel draped around his lean hips, another draped around his shoulders, the tips of his hair glistening with wet drops from the shower.
‘She lives.’ He grinned at her. ‘I was hoping you’d join me.’
‘I was thinking about it,’ she murmured, automatically opening her mouth for his kiss. ‘But then Regan rang.’
Given that he’d said that he liked things just the way they were between him and his siblings, she wasn’t sure how to tell him she’d accepted Regan’s invitation. She would give anything to be able to go to another birthday dinner for Sol but she knew that Rafe didn’t feel the same way about his family.
Rafe dropped the towel from around his shoulders, going still. ‘Is everything okay?’
‘Everything’s fine. She told me she’s throwing your brother a surprise birthday party tomorrow night and that you haven’t RSVP’d.’
Rafe nuzzled a path down the side of her neck. ‘I’ve been so distracted I forgot. I need to let her know that we’re busy.’
Alexa braced her hands on the balls of his shoulders to shift him back.
‘Are we busy?’
He frowned as she thwarted his attempt to rid her of his T-shirt. ‘Yes. Tomorrow is our last night before you return to Berenia and I plan to make love with you the entire time.’